For the second game in a row, the Fort Campbell Falcons were stung by a late touchdown, and Friday night’s may have been the most painful of the two. Union County’s Christopher Bledsoe scored on a one yard run with just over four minutes to go in the game, as the Braves rallied for a 25-21 win in a huge district matchup.
The game started off like it would be anything but close, Union County took the opening kickoff and drove down the field, capping off the drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Jacob Winters to Logan Thomas to take a 6-0 lead. The Falcons quickly gave the ball back to Union County, and the Braves began another long drive that carried over into the second quarter.
On the first play of the second quarter, Winters found Thomas again, this time from 17-yards, and the Braves extended the lead to 12-0. The very first play of the next possession for Fort Campbell, the Falcons laid the ball on the ground and Dealynn Ricketts took it back for a 45-yard fumble return to push the lead out to 18-0.
On the ensuing kickoff, the Braves recovered a pooch kick, and were immediately back on offense. Just as it appeared the Falcons might be run out of their own stadium, the game turned on a single defensive play. Union County quarterback Jacob Winters flared a pass out to the right flat, however Falcon defender Mike Rice broke on the ball, picked it off, and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown that cut the Braves lead to 18-7 with 11:27 to go in the half.
In a 33-second span, the two teams had put three touchdowns on the board.
The score stayed at 18-7 until late in the 2nd quarter, when the Falcons took over at their own 20-yard line and drove 80-yards, capped off by a 2-yard run from Dayton Keeling to cut the Braves lead to 18-14 with 32-seconds to go in the half.
The two teams battled back and forth in the 3rd quarter with neither getting to the end zone. After a questionable decision in the 4th quarter to go for it on 4th down inside their own 35, the Braves gave the Falcons a short field that nearly cost Union County the game. Abdel Howard broke off a 36-yard run to put Fort Campbell in front 21-18 with 7:33 to go.
However, the Braves responded on their very next possession. Aided by a late hit call on the Falcons, Union County marched down the field, capped off by a 1-yard from Christopher Bledsoe, to take the lead back at 25-21. The Falcons had two last ditch possesions in the final four minutes, but could not get into the endzone.
A telling stat in the game was that Union County ran 73 plays, while the Falcons ran only 39. The Braves picked up the win despite turning the ball over four times on the night.
The Falcons got a big night out of Abdel Howard, who rushed for 34 yards and a TD; had 34 yards receiving; and came up with two interceptions.
The Falcons drop to 2-5 on the season, and 0-2 in the district, and now almost have to win both at Caldwell County, and at home against Paducah Tilghman to have a chance at making the playoffs.
